I Have
by Shadow Storyteller
Summary: Have you ever read a Laven week story? AU and normal time line.
1. Goose Chase

**Disclaimer: Laugh at your problems. Everybody else does.**

**August sixth: network**

Have you ever gone on a wild goose chase through a massive network of people? I have.

Yeah, I screwed up in the first palce, but it was my best friend who should shoulder a lot of blame. I know some of it falls to me for starting the chain, but I trusted her! What was I supposed to say? I thought she wouldn't lend it out if I told her not to!

That's the last time I lend out a comic by the great Hoshino!

+…+

Allen Walker's smile slowly fades from his face till he's left staring in horror at his best friend. "You're kidding, right?" he begs. There's desperation in his voice that makes Lenalee feel all the more guilty. "_Please_ tell me your kidding!"

People taking their morning walk look in confusion at the strange boy on the Lee's porch. They frown at him, mistaking him for some kind of hoodlum with his white hair and strange 'tattoo' on his face. A few more concerned neighbors even call out to ask Lenalee what's wrong. She waves them away before turning her attention back to the almost hyperventilating Allen.

"I'm sorry, but Kanda really wanted it." She rubs her arm awkwardly, knowing that lending the comic away because he's her boyfriend isn't exactly the best excuse. Then again, Allen's excuse isn't either. "He'd said he give it back. He probably forgot. Why don't we just go pick it up?" she reasons, quick to make up for her goof.

"I really don't want to go to _his_ house," Allen says in disgust. "I bet he threw it away just to spite me."

Lenalee frowns at her friend, crossing her arms defensively like she always does when someone insults her boyfriend. "He's not like that, Allen! Why can't you two get along?" Allen looks away, scowling. Lenalee sighs. "Do you need a ride?"

Shaking his head, Allen starts down the porch stairs. "No. His house is on the way back to mine. I'll just stop there."

"If you're sure…" Lenalee bites her lip nervously, debating whether to just drive him over anyway. It's supposed to get really hot today, and Allen always has long sleeves on. Heat stroke is a real possibility.

Allen waves good-bye before Lenalee can protest, taking off down the sidewalk. By the time Lenalee got the keys off Komui, Allen could already be there. The sooner he gets his comic back, the better.

+…+

_Knock, knock, kn-_

"Shut up! I hear you!"

Allen taps his foot impatiently, looking at the grand house with slight distaste. Having only ever lived in small houses or apartments and developing a fondness for them over the years, the building always seems intimidating and egotistical every time he goes there to get supplies from Tiedoll for Cross. The fact Kanda lives there makes him hate it even more.

'I told Lenalee not to lend that comic to anyone else,' he fumes in agitation fueled by the heat, wiping away the sweat trickling down his face. Only ten and it was already in the ninety's! Just his luck he had to get the book back on the hottest day of the year. Cross will be back the next day, and Allen doesn't even want to think what he'd do if he saw his limited edition collection of one-shots by the great Katsura Hoshino gone.

After what feels like hours to Allen, Kanda opens the door. He takes one look at the boy before scowling and attempting to slam the door in his face. Unluckily for him, Allen's strange left hand is very strong. He slams his hand against the door's side, easily keeping the door open as a fake smile pulls at his lips.

"Now that's not very nice, Kanda," he chides, an angry tick working its way into his smile. "I came all this way just to see you. The least you can do it give me a few minutes of your useless time."

Kanda pulls back the door and tries once again to slam it, but Allen takes advantage of the moment he takes to pull the door back to jump inside. Kanda doesn't react in time to stop mid-swing. The slam echoes in the vast family room, making Allen jump at the sheer volume.

"I need my comic back," Allen demands before Kanda can say anything.

The 'sick litte asshole' chuckles before opening the door to let Allen out, a mirthful grin on his face. "Don't have it. I lent it to Alma…who lives twenty blocks down the road. Good luck in the ninety degree weather with that coat."

It takes all of Allen's strength to walk out the door without punching Kanda in his smug face.

+…+

"Allen! Hi!" Alma chirps as he opens the door, positively beaming. The boy loves all his friends more than anything in the world (even ice cream, much to Allen's shock). Any unplanned visit is like an early Christmas present to him. He's easy to shop for. "Wait…what's wrong?" he asks, finally noticing the less than perfect state of his friend.

Allen is leaning heavily against the shaded porch railing, his clothes soaked and hair sticking to his forehead. He looks slightly dazed, but his stormy eyes focus on Alma. "Comic…Hoshino…please?" he pants.

Alma shakes his head, hustling Allen inside. "Get out of the heat! You looking like you're going to drop dead!"

"What about dropping dead?" calls someone from inside the house. Allen frowns. He thought he knew all of Alma's friends since they are all his friend too, but he's never heard that voice before.

"Nothing Lavi! Just stay there!" Alma calls back, leading the white haired teen to his kitchen.

Lavi walks in soon after anyway, pausing when he sees the unusual Allen for the first time. Allen, who was taking off his jacket, quickly hugs it tightly back to his body. Lavi raises an eyebrow, the one visible eye critically observing the other while Alma looks nervously between his two friends. "If you got something to hide, I can leave," he supplies, "but covering it up won't make it better." He taps his eye patch. "Believe me."

Slowly, Allen relaxes his hold. He keeps his jacket on, eyeing the stranger in return. "I don't believe you," he challenges, wondering exactly what this guy is made of. There's an aura of nonchalance about him that both sets Allen off and relaxes him.

"Lavi volunteers at the hospital," Alma explains. "Your arm probably wouldn't even faze him." Allen shakes his head stubbornly, frowning at Alma for mentioning his arm. He earns a sigh. "Lavi, do you mind?"

The red-head shakes his head and is gone before Allen can even blink.

Allen lets his jacket slide down, letting it pool around his waist but keeping some of it on his lower arms just in case he as to pull it back on in a hurry. He doesn't trust Lavi. The air conditioning feels good on his soaked skin, leading him to relax more. Allen takes a moment to savor the cold before getting down to business.

"Do you have the comic Kanda lent you? I need it back." Allen looks at his friend hopefully.

Alma smiles apologetically, handing Allen a bottle of water. "I didn't know that was yours. Yu- Yu as in Kanda- never said anything about it, so I lent it to Bak." Alma panics when his guest jumps up and pulls on his coat, swaying unsteadily. "Sit down and cool off before you go chasing that comic! You're going to kill yourself!"

"Not if Cross does first," Allen mutters, taking the bottle from Alma and holding the cold water to his pounding head. He sighs in relief. "That comic is his."

Visibly paling, Alma has to keep himself from pushing the other out the door. The boy hasn't exactly had a good experience with Cross. "Wait at least five minutes before booking it down to Bak's house." He pats Allen's shoulder sadly. "I hope you survive."

+…+

Allen knocks furiously at Kanda's door for the _third goddamn _time today _two hours_ later! Why the Japanese ass hadn't told him when he was at his house earlier his comic had passed through twice was beyond him. He's sick of this giant network of people! From Lenlaee to Kanda to Alma to Bak to Fou to old man Zu to-

Marie opens the door, brow creased in confusion. "Hello?" he asks, straining his ears for some kind of hint as to who it'd be. "...Allen? Please knock louder next time."

Allen smiles apologetically, not that Marie can see. The younger always forgets that Marie can usually tell a person by thier knock, but Allen's is so soft he can't pick it up well enough to tell. "Yeah. Hello again." He sighs when Marie chuckles. "I need to talk to Daisya this time." Allen had been to this house ninth to try and get it from Marie and is now there for number thirteen.

Marie shakes his head, leaning against the door frame with more coordination than you'd expect from a blind person. Allen still has no idea why the man had wanted the comic before. Sure, the story was interesting, but didn't it defeat the purpose to read it out loud? Even if you describe what's going on, you don't get the full affect. 'Hoshino is just so great her work appeals to blind people.'

"Daisya lent it to someone else." Allen wants to slam his head against a wall. " I think it was…someone named Lavi?"

'You've got to be kidding me.'

Marie shakes his head in dismissal. Allen, fed up, starts to bag his head against the wall. "Stop banging your head on the wall. You're starting to sound like Kanda." Marie can imagine the scowl on Allen's face as he stops. "Lavi lives on Forty Ninth Street. Last name is Deak. I think the bottom of his apartment is a bookstore."

'That's ten blocks down!'

Agitated beyond all reason, Allen stomps away with only a distracted and curt 'thank you' to Marie.

The heat slams against the teen as he walks, laughing at the boy for wearing a jacket on such a beautiful day. What did it care about his disfigured arm? Did it care how self-conscious about the boy is? Nope, the sun is determined to get that jacket off or kill him trying. At least it feels that way to Allen.

"Allen?"

Snapping out of his daze, the teen looks up to see Lavi. "It's Allen, right?" the red head asks, stopping in front of him. "Still on that quest for your comic?" Allen can barely nod. "You look like you're in bad shape," Lavi observes, a tingle of warning in his voice. "My house is a few blocks down. Stay there for a bit before chasing your next link."

"'Link?'" Allen echoes, thinking back to a rather stuffy senior at his college. "...Oh! Right." They walk for a few moments before he bursts out, "Lavi! You have it, right? Please tell me you have my comic! Katsura Hoshino one-shots?"

Lavi laughs and pulls the comic out of his bag, the beautiful illustrations becoming even more entrancing in the sun as the light catches the colors. "I thought this was Yu's and was going to return it."

"He wishes," Allen mumbles. Lavi agrees whole-heartedly, giving the comic a longing look.

+…+

"Is this necessary?" Lavi whines, cutting short when dust flies up in his face and makes him cough. He gives the old box filled with books a dirty look before beginning to stack them on the 'used' shelf. "Alma already told you I wouldn't care."

"I care!" Allen counters, keeping an ear out for Lavi and a hand on his discarded jacket. He's down in the top sellers on the other end of the store where he's certain Lavi can't get a peek at his arm. Lavi insisted Allen stay, but the younger was wary of the other. To put his mind at ease, Lavi left him alone and went to work stocking the shelves, but Allen couldn't stand just sitting around. So Allen got a box that would put him a 'safe distance' away from Lavi to help.

The bookstore is freezing, making Allen put back on his jacket in less than thirty minutes. More confident with it on, he struck up a conversation with Lavi, asking how he knew Alma. It turns out they each know all of the other's friends somehow. They'd been to the same parties, just not in the same place at the same time. It was just a matter of time before they met though.

They slowly wind down to more mundane topics, really hitting it off. They do drift back to friends a few times, telling sides to stories the other only knew half of.

"So you must be the gay bean sprout," Lavi concludes. Both finished stalking the store a short time ago, but neither had really wanted to leave. They're lounging in the front of the store, the comic in between them.

"You must be the stupid, gay rabbit," Allen responds, a little unnerved when Lavi keeps staring at him. "What?"

Lavi, not realizing he was staring, smiles in embarrassment. "You're not as small as I thought you'd be…short stack." He dodges a teasing smack on the arm from Allen before getting serious. "You know, I need help around the shop. This usually would've taken me almost another hour. You want a job?" He nudges Allen when he hesitates. "Come on. Time goes faster with a friend."

Allen looks out over the store, loving the simple but inviting décor. There's a café down the street, and he's sure Lavi will pay him well. Sure, he'll have to walk from his classes to here, doubling back to class depending on his hours, but then he won't have to gamble. It's not like he spends much time at home anyway, and he can use the extra cash.

Still, the teen hesitates.

"We could talk about it over dinner?" Lavi suggests. "Go see a movie? Insert cheap outing idea that I hope hides the fact I'm asking for a date?"

A small smile blooms on Allen's face, the comic between them the last thing on his mind. "Sure."

**I'll be trying out different styles of writing for a few of these, so please let me know what you think of each chapter! Harsh reviews build character!  
**

**See you tomorrow.  
**


	2. Capture

**Thanks to Allena Moyashi Walker, DGrayManFanatic, and Synk for reviewing!**

**August seventh: quarry**

**Disclaimer:If crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight_?_**

Have you ever taken anything a little too seriously? I have.

It's not so much I'm competitive by nature that I just really want to beat him. If he wasn't so competitive, I'd play normal. It's just how I am. Well, there's also this other guy (well, the gender is still up for debate) I'm just constantly at odds with so I go all out, but the one I'm talking about has a much different relationship to me.

Besides, if he takes it all so seriously, why shouldn't I?

+…+

Lavi carefully considers the thicket of branches in his way, opting to go the whole way around for the sake of stealth. He's deep in enemy territory, a place where none of his team can help him if he's spotted. In fact, it would only bring them down with him to rush to his aid.

He heads towards the less-dense area of trees, circling around the place he wants to go. Birds eye Lavi reproachfully when he moves the branches they're on, causing them to fly away. One decides to crap on his dark green hoodie that covers his attention-grabbing hair. He looks to the sky, giving the bird the bird for a good measure before continuing on.

One observant eye scans the area around him thoroughly, watching the ground as well. He stops when he sees the rusted remains of an old playground, remembering afternoon's with his friends when it had still been safe to play on. The old swing creaks as it moves softly in the wind, the noise setting Lavi on edge. He strains his ears for any sound that could be man-made, but it's no use. Every rustle of a branch seems like someone trying to sneak up on him. Every animal is an enemy. Every sound is a warning.

It takes a few more minutes of cautious walking, but Lavi finally closes in on where he wants to be. He smirks to himself when he sees his target leaning comfortably on a tree. He crouches down when the target looks around indifferently, skimming over the bush that hides Lavi. Eyes pause on Lavi's hiding spot, making Lavi's blood run heart-racingly cold until they move on.

Slowly, Lavi shifts onto the balls of his feet, craftily sneaking around bushes and trees to get behind his unaware target. 'Too easy,' he thinks, kneeling behind a tree close enough that he can hear the other's breath. Time seems to stop for Lavi as he prepares himself to jump, mentally mapping the way back to his base when he gets what he came for.

Silent as humanly possible, Lavi jumps from his hiding place at his target.

Allen yells as Lavi's weight slams into him, knocking him to the forest floor. All the air flies out off his lungs, stunning him for a moment while he struggles to suck back in air. 'The hell?' his rattled brain thinks, only snapping back to reality when Lavi yanks up his shirt.

Lavi eyes gleam in victory when he sees what he's looking for sticking out of Allen's pocket. 'Gotcha!' It's quickly blocked from his view when the younger yanks his shirt out of Lavi's grip and slams it back down over his torso. Allen jerks his legs to the side so Lavi is knocked off balance. He kicks his legs up once more to completely throw the other off.

Clambering to his feet, Allen backs up a few steps from Lavi, scanning for help. Tyki's supposed to be guarding him! Where the hell is he? The boy opens his mouth to yell out, but Lavi suddenly rushes straight at him with a victorious gleam in his eye. Allen turns to run, but he's not fast enough to escape.

Lavi's palm slaps over his face, his free hand wrapping around Allen's waist from behind to completely stop him from moving. "Do you have to be so rough?" Allen yells through the hand, struggling.

Lavi clucks his tongue in disappointment. "All's fair in love and war, Allen," he whispers in the other's ear. His hand slides down from his mouth teasingly slow, headed for the younger's pants. Allen, slightly off-kilter from the effect of Lavi's breath tickling his ear, tries to twist out of his grip or at least make it hard for Lavi, but it does little to help.

Quickly as he can, Lavi whips the crimson cloth from Allen's pocket. He shoves Allen forward with all his strength to make him fall down and takes off through the trees, certain in his speed with a head start. Too bad Allen's more coordinated than he gives him credit for.

Allen sprints after Lavi, gaining back his balance in a moment. Still keeping an eye out for Tyki, he keeps pace with the red head, waiting for him to drop his guard or speed. Lavi's base is a long way; there's no need to rush. At least, that's what he thinks until Lavi increases speed to a flat out sprint and begins weaving through the forest.

It takes all that Allen has just to keep him in sight, but he's slowly loosing Lavi as they run. He pours everything he has into his speed. Throwing caution to the wind and hoping he doesn't end up with a mouth full of dirt, Allen launches forward in an intended tackle. He wraps his arms around Lavi's shins to knock him down, the other's foot barely missing his face as they fall.

Lavi cries out when he hits the ground, palms stinging and jaw covered in soft dirt. Allen climbs up the older's legs like a monkey, grinning in victory when he sees the crimson cloth laying a short distance from Lavi's head. He heads for it clumsily, continuing to climb over Lavi. Allen's hand doesn't even brush the smooth cloth before Lavi stops him.

Forcing his knees and hands under him, Lavi pushes up. Allen falls short on Lavi's back as he's lifted high enough to not be able to touch the ground. He flounders as he tumbles off to the right, yelping in surprise. Grabbing onto the first thing he can, which just so happens to be the neck of Lavi's t-shirt, Allen pulls in an attempt to stay on.

Lavi chokes, rolling towards Allen to keep from suffocating. His back presses Allen into the ground, earning some gasps of pain from the poor boy under him when rocks jab into his back. Allen shoves Lavi off and clumsily crawls towards the cloth.

Taking more time to actually get to his feet, Lavi advances on Allen. Allen groans in pain and annoyance when Lavi grabs his foot and yanks him back against the ground. His shirt is pushed up from the force, his pale belly becoming stained with the brown of the dirt. The same rocks that dug into his back scratch his exposed stomach.

There's a pause on Lavi's end when he notices Allen's discomfort, but it's only a moment before he drops the other's foot and races over him for the cloth.

In a spark of genius, Allen turns to lie on his back and kicks at Lavi. Lavi yelps in surprise as he's jerked to a stop by the sharp kick to the shin and falls on Allen, missing the other's head by a centimeter. Maybe it wasn't such a genius spark after all.

"I'm going to die by the time this is over," Allen complains, his breath coming out in wheezes. Lavi's weight keeps him pined down and struggling to breath. "Get off." He slaps Lavi's side when he doesn't move. "Come on."

"L…let's catch our breath for a minute," Lavi suggests, Allen only now realizing how heavily the other is breathing. He smirks in victory at being able to keep up with him. Not such a bean sprout anymore. Ha!

Allen sighs when Lavi pushes himself up on his arms and hovers his face above Allen's with a smirk. It's quiet now that both of them have caught their breath, almost peaceful. Both keep an eye on each other and the cloth, the tension in case they have to move clear in their body language. They're not exactly trusting the other right now.

"Aren't we in the middle of something?" Allen says, flicking his eyes to the crimson spot in the otherwise green and brown forest floor. Lavi just leans closer. "Lavi," Allen scolds.

"Allen." Lavi presses his lips to his, but Allen turns his face away. "Come on! Just a quick break?"

"In case you haven't noticed, we were doing something. I don't think the others will like it if we suddenly stop playing to kiss." Allen rolls his eyes, catching sight of something from the corner of his eyes. Is that-?

"They won't mind," Lavi protests, turning Allen's attention quickly back to him with another kiss.

It takes a couple beats before Allen start to respond, moving his lips. Lavi attempts to deepen the kiss, poking his tongue out to teasingly touch Allen's closed mouth, but the younger smirks. "You know that-"

Lavi shuts him up by another kiss, almost groaning in victory when Allen deepens it. Besides, Lavi's not to eager to get back to the game. If Allen can still properly focus, then that's no good: he can still counter Lavi. Sure, Lavi wants to kiss him as much as the next gay guy, but he might as well get a two for one.

They separate after a few seconds, neither out of breath. "What were you saying?" Lavi asks cockily, sure Allen has completely forgotten why they're there. Yeah, Lavi can be a little too confident in his 'abilities.'

Allen smirks, a gleam in his eye. "As I was saying, you lose."

Lavi pulls back to look down at Allen, confused. He looks around for attack, but there's no one there. Everything looks the same. The cloth is still in the same spot. "What are you-"

"We win!" Lenalee explodes through the trees with Kanda and Road following close behind, a bright purple cloth held high in her fist. Tyki comes out from the trees close by beaming in victory while Road pouts and Kanda…well, his expression doesn't change much from the usual frown.

"You could've just come out of your hiding place and tagged him," Allen says to Tyki.

Tyki shakes his head, laughing. "Why turn down a free show? You guys are hilarious to watch when you're fighting! When he grabbed your foot and dragged you? The look on your face was priceless!"

Allen laughs at Lavi's amazed expression as he really looks around, finally noticing the dull orange dividers on the trees they had put up when they started playing. "You," he says to Allen, mystified. "I was right there, and you stalled me long enough for Lenalee to get the flag. I thought you were just the flag holder."

Allen swiftly pecks Lavi's lips before getting out from under him and offering a hand to his boyfriend. "Who was the predator again?" he teases.

**Please review! Criticism makes flowers bloom.**


	3. The Price of the Secret

***throws hands in the air* I actually attempted to be completely serious. I hope it didn't crash and burn.**

**Thanks to Synk for reviewing and anyone who favored/followed.  
**

**Disclaimer: Just because you aren't looking doesn't mean they aren't watching.  
**

**August eighth: paranoia**

Have you ever done something you know you shouldn't and have that constant feeling everyone knows you did it? I have.

I know that rationally I have no big reason to believe that people know, but it doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that. It's just there in the back of my head, hissing to me that they _know_. Does that mean I want to stop doing this 'forbidden' thing?

No, not in the least.

+…+

Lavi has seen paranoia many times in his years as a Bookman. He's watched in sick, twisted humor as they look over their shoulders every few moments to check for an (usually) imaginary foe, how they regard everyone, even their own family members, with suspicion as if they'll suddenly produce a knife and stab them. They make his job a pain in the ass but entertaining at the same time, and you'll take whatever entertainment you can get when you're constantly traveling to battle fields stained in death.

So when he himself starts feeling a prickling in his spine every waking moment and starts looking behind him every other step, he figures it's poetic justice for laughing at the others.

It started small as a well-placed caution when he'd go to meet Allen. After all, if Bookman ever found out about those stupid feelings that bloomed in him, Lavi didn't know what would happen. Would he be taken away from the Order to a place Allen wasn't? Would Bookman leave him alone after the war was over? Would he be killed to protect the secrets of the clan?

He knew that his little affair with Allen had the potential to completely screw every goddamn thing up, not just in his life but the whole war- he's the Destroyer of Time!- yet Lavi found himself not really caring during stolen moments around the Order.

Months passed with them continuing under wraps. Allen had no problem with being secretive about it, easily treating Lavi like he always had around friends. Only Lavi, who was so practiced in reading the bean sprout he should have a metal, could notice the subtle way his eyes would light up around him and only him…and Lavi was terrified Bookman might be able to see it too.

In an attempt to distance himself from Allen, Lavi insisted they tone it down. Secret meetings changed their frequency to only a handful of times a month, and it drove Lavi crazy not being able to see Allen. They're in the middle of a war. Allen didn't have time to tell him when he had missions anymore. As far as Lavi knew most of the time, Allen was lying dead somewhere.

When Allen did come back, wrapped head to toe in bandages and barely able to walk as they escorted him to the nurse, Lavi felt his gut sink to hell thanks to the weight of guilt and panic that engulfed him. It was a mission they had both supposed to have gone on with Bookman, but Lavi turned it down in fear of discovery.

Lavi couldn't have been stuck closer to Allen even if they used super glue. He slept at Allen's bedside, fretting like a mother would over a son. It was around that time Lavi realized just how weighty his feelings towards Allen were, and he was even more afraid Bookman would find out about the now dangerous feeling.

Walking through the halls nearly three months later, Lavi's ready to claw his skin off his bone to get rid of the prickling feeling he's being watched. Every damned step is a signal to Bookman where he is. Every person who passes him will gossip, the truth reaching Bookman's ears that way. There are so many ways things could go wrong. Why the hell does he keep doing this!

Allen smiles when he sees Lavi walk into the nearly deserted mess hall despite the amount of food in his mouth, eyes brightening. "Hey," he tries to say, cheeks swollen out with chicken, cake, and dango. It takes a few minutes for him to swallow, the whole effect made comedic by the look of complete concentration on his face.

"Don't hurt yourself, bean sprout" Lavi chuckles, sliding next to him on the bench of the table and swiping a small sticky bun, ignoring Allen's indignant noises. He swiftly takes a bite of the bun when Allen tries to grab it, smirking. "Come on! It's just a bun."

"But it's a good bun!" Allen protests. He frowns, dangerously close to a pout but not quite there yet. He's not that childish or feminine. "That could've been the most delicious bun in history, and you just took it from me."

Lavi holds it out. "Do you want it?"

"Keep it," Allen shrugs, already digging back into his food. "It'll make an interesting log, won't it?" He grins cheekily, uncaring about the heavy topic he's joking about. "'Destroyer of Time gives away most delectable bun ever. He's an inspiration to us all.'"

Lavi laughs, the feeling of paranoia almost nonexistent despite Bookman actually being within hearing distance. Oh, it's there, but not as crippling now. His skin is still irritated, and his spine still tingles in warning. Everyone's whispers carries the truth about their relationship. Why does he keep doing this?

Oh yeah, because he loves Allen…for better or worse.


	4. Yearlong Melody

**August tenth: music**

Have you ever fallen in love with your teacher? I have.

No, it's not what you think! _I'm_ the older one! …No, I'm not a pedophile. We're two years apart. Get your head out of the gutter! It's perfectly legal, even if my teacher _is_ a guy.

Don't judge me.

+…+

Lavi really has no idea why he's here. Sure, he may have set a good portion of the band room at his college on fire (accidentally!), but why does he have to 'learn the importance of music in the world and a human' or whatever the mental Mr. Neah said? Any other teacher would've given him detention, but the crazy band director wrote him an address and told him to be there at five three times a week for six months of lessons.

'Does it have to be in this dump?' Lavi thinks critically, eyeing the old apartment with distaste. In actuality the house isn't that bad, but Lavi has the habit of being more cynical than he really is.

'Never show your true self. The world isn't so nice to happy-go-lucky's like you. Trust me,' Gramps had insisted since the time Lavi could understand and continually hammering it into his head until the boy was able to move away to college. By then, the damage had been done and pessimist Lavi was born. Only close friends have the honor of seeing the real Lavi.

So bad attitude still in place, Lavi heads in.

The apartment has a simple set-up, so it's easy for Lavi to find the fourteenth apartment on the fourteenth floor. The halls are clean, if not a little boring the in repetitiveness of the carpet and wallpaper pattern. Lavi can already feel the dread well up in him at the thought of three lessons a week for six months.

'What if the teach is like Gramps and whacks me every time I miss up? What if it's some strict old lady with chapped lips and saggy skin that can't take a joke?' The young man almost gulps. 'What if it's a combination?' Lavi stares at the dull number fourteen on the door in front of him, the image of a prim and proper old lady with a bun and a scowl whacking his hands with a ruler for every mistake in his mind's eye.

Hand resting on the knob, Lavi hesitates. He could just skip out and take a different, but what if that ends up being worse? Maybe he can just suffer through the first day, and, if the teacher is a nightmare, take his chances with a new torture?

Piano music starts coming from the door, the high notes brisk with long notes underlining it. The notes are suddenly held out for a few beats before the music takes on this kind of dance-oriented, punk feel. 'It sounds like the intro to some kind of rock song!' When the melody comes in, it becomes haunting as well as catchy. As Lavi unconsciously taps his foot to the beat, he knows right away he'll be humming it for awhile.

Once what seems to be the chorus is done, the music descends back into the dance feel. Lavi's really starting to get into it when the beat starts to loose speed. A chord is held out before the bass part starts a new rhythm. Two notes are held then a short note, the effect a creepy sound you'd likely hear in a haunted house movie. The melody starts in high without any harmonizing while the bass part keeps repeating. Shivers shot up Lavi's spine, making him afraid to turn around in case a ghost is behind him, ready to rip out his heart. He shakes it off, scolding himself. 'It's just music!'

The song suddenly flows into a more grave and soothing piece, jerking Lavi's heart immediately with the longing quality. It soars into the melody, the bass steadily playing in the back until it suddenly becomes a flurry of notes that blows Lavi's mind. It rises in volume, seeming to echo in the hall with sadness. The bass part suddenly reduces to a few accenting notes to let the high, lamenting melody echo out before fading into nothing.

Lavi stares at the door in shock. A feeling he hesitates to call sadness eats at him. 'It's over?'

Slowly, the keys begin to tinkle in song again, starting in another lullaby that only seems to use one hand. A high voice of a boy starts singing eerily with the slow lullaby. It's somehow more heart-wrenching than the last song, and Lavi's had enough.

"Hello!" he calls, opening the door without bothering to knock. The music stops immediately, much to his relief. "Mr. Neah sent me here as punishment. I'm supposed to learn the importance of sound or whatever. I'm thrilled." He mutters the last sentence.

"Really? It doesn't sound like you are," points out a voice that sounds way too knowledgeable for the boy-like quality it has. "How about you come back here after you loose the attitude? I don't want you to get in trouble with my uncle, but this is music. Only those who want to learn have any chance of being amazing."

A mournful song fills the air, the dark bass contradicting the happy melody. It feels like it's chocking Lavi. The boy panics for a second before reminding himself it's just music. Nothing to get worked up about!

…Somehow, he's not so sure anymore.

+…+

You will never hear Lavi admit it, but he's glad Mr. Neah made him go make piano lessons. Don't get the guy the wrong! He's no miracle player ("It took him two months to get through a book for five-year-olds," his teacher, Allen, likes to point out to anyone that will listen), but he has a much bigger appreciation for music now.

Allen and him got along great once Lavi lightened up, the lessons turning more into conversations than anything. Once the six months were over, Lavi still came to Allen's. While the boy occasionally taught him a few new things, they mostly settled into the conversations Lavi enjoys so much. Lavi loves the days Allen will let him to listen to the new song the young man came up with.

Allen Walker at nineteen is a composer, his work starting to gain popularity for its infrequent nature and unique sound. One day it's a tune that makes Lavi want to waltz across the dinky apartment room even though he can't dance to save his life. The next is a song that almost has him in tears. Another day is a love song that has Lavi looking at his friend of nearly eight months in a new light.

Allen's music touches the emotions of a person, drawing them out into a song. The reactions he can elect out of people stun Lavi. The older would love to be able to do the same thing, but his fingers stumble over the keys like some new-born horse attempting to walk. 'Yankee Doodle' turns into 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' when he plays.

The days continue peacefully like that until Lavi's college gets out for the summer. Having nothing to do, he's finds himself in Allen's apartment most days. It's not long before the room starts to get too stuffy for the both of them and they start to venture outside as well.

Both can say they've never been happier. They go everywhere in town, looking at different history museums for Lavi that bores Allen out of his mind and musicals for Allen that Lavi usually falls asleep at. Steadily getting closer, it doesn't take long for Lavi to catch on that the most recent songs of Allen are geared towards love.

"Do those songs mean anything?" Lavi asks one day as causally as he can, keeping his nerves in tact the best he can. "Someone find a girlfriend?" he teases, his heart not really in it.

Allen glances up from his last unfinished piece, the heart-breaking sound of morphing into a dull acceptance much easier to play while having a conversation.

"What does the song mean to you?" Allen says in a know-it-all way that irks Lavi. He smirks, knowing the effect it has on the older. "Each song as a different meaning to each person. That was lesson , I think of unrequited love." He meets Lavi's eyes head-on. The other can see the challenge in them. "What does it mean to you?"

Lavi stares back, trying to sort through all the feelings the song had dragged out of him. They swim around in him, not letting Lavi grab on long enough to figure out exactly what it is.

"Confusion," he answers truthfully.

Allen nods, breaking contact and launching into a swell of denial. Lavi notices that the passion is much more subdued than before.

Allen constantly plays that piece, never finishing it for a whole year. Lavi hears it once a week, each time just a bit different than the last. It makes no difference how the man plays it. Adding a crescendo here, changing the melody there doesn't help him find the ending. Every time the great build-up of sound happens, determination ringing out, it fades to nothing as Allen stares at the keys, looking lost. Lavi, on the other hand, understands the song more and more as it's played.

The breeze from the fans knock down the sheet music of the now twenty-year-old Allen. He pays no attention, preoccupied with the final battle scene song of the new movie he's been hired to make the music for.

Lavi gets up to pick up the music, smiling when his friend lets out a shout of triumph when inspiration hits. The sound of pencil against paper fills the room, mashing with the constant hum of the fans. Allen's done by the time Lavi has all his music and, after a quick run-through of his new tune, launches right into the old unrequited love song.

Coming to sit by Allen on the piano bench, Lavi barely gets offered a glance from the solemn male as the song cries out. That is, until he speaks.

"I think I understand the song now."

For the first time since Lavi's known him, Allen stumbles over the notes, his head snapping up to stare at Lavi. The surprise is quickly replaced with suspicion and a light tone of eagerness. "Are you sure? They mean different things to different people." His gray eyes are challenging as he stares at the taller male. "What is it?"

Lavi leans back, putting on a little show. "Now Allen, I can't just tell you! This song…" He shakes his head, the smile ruining the image. "This song deserves more! It must be done in front of a live audience, the meaning screamed out at the end before you run for the exit because you just shattered everyone else's opinions and-mff!"

It took a moment, but Lavi relaxes into the sudden kiss. He stays still, not really sure what to do since Allen's the one leaning into him. When the younger pulls back to look at Lavi, expression screaming 'oh god what now?,' Lavi leans back in, hovering just above his lips.

"So…I think the song means a certain white-head has a boyfriend~!" he signs obnoxiously off-key before giving the disgruntled Allen a deeper kiss.

The next day, the song laments the torture of not knowing how the other feels. Caution is played with each note. It sinks to acceptance that thinks things may not go its way, the tune ringing with meek acceptance. Then it rises, gaining confidence before meeting in a crescendo of impulse…then fading to a simple tinkling of notes an amateur, even one with fingers that stumble like new-born houses, can play.

**The music Allen plays that Lavi hears in the beginning in order is Doubt and Trust, Road's song, Lala****'s Lullaby, then Tsunaida Te ni Kisu wo. All are piano versions you can find on youtube.  
**


	5. Falling

**August ninth: scarf**

**(Sorry! There was a bit of a mix-up. This was supposed to be yesterday's!) Thanks ****all ****you who reviewed!  
**

**Disclaimer: Friends encourage you. Best friends tell you exactly what they really think, feelings be damned.  
**

Have you ever become friend with someone in the strangest way possible? I have.

No, there weren't any life-or-death situations. I know better than to get in a situation like that! It's wasn't any big event like a troll attacking in the bathroom or a fist fight either. It wasn't even a through a bully.

It was through clumsiness.

+…+

"Almost there…_Whoa_!"

Lavi yelps in surprise as Allen looses balance and falls, screaming in fear as he goes. Lavi sprints forward, holding out his arms to catch him and bracing himself for impact, but Allen gets caught in the thick branches of the tree, leaving the older waiting in confusion on he ground.

"Look up!" Allen calls in annoyance, thrashing around in an effort to break free of the branches snagged all in his clothes and hair. He can feel a shallow scratch on his cheek sting as it starts to bleed and a branch digging into his ribs. "Lavi! Come help- ow!- me!"

Lavi looks up, squinting. The leaves are blocking his view. He tries walking around the tree to get a better view of his friend, snapping twigs and dead leaves under his feet as he moves. It takes a few trips around the tree to finally get on angle that he can see Allen from, and, when Lavi does, he can't stop laughing.

Completely upside-down, Allen looks like a puppet tangled in its strings. His left arm is hanging limply down beside his face, tips of his fingers barely poking out from the leaves. His right arm is stuck across his chest. His light jacket is splayed in all directions, the branches of the tree seemingly attempting to grab it off him. His legs are crossed above him, not enough to be painful but uncomfortable.

"Sadist!" Allen yells, earning more than a few looks from passer-bys. "Don't just stand there and laugh! Get me down!"

"But you look so comfy!" Lavi calls back up, cupping his hands around his mouth to add unneeded volume. A bird flies out of the tree and craps on the loud teen.

Allen smirks. "Karma sucks, huh?" He blinks a few times, trying to get rid of his light-headedness before attempting to move again, but it only makes him sink lower. A few branches start to crack under his weight.

All the blood rushing to his head and world starting to spin, Allen tries to lift his head parallel to the ground. It works enough to stable his sight, but his neck quickly starts to hurt. He tilts his neck even further up to wedge his head on a branch. He retains the same amount of stain on his neck, but the blood stops rushing to his head.

"This is all your fault, Lavi!" he yells down, trying to angle his head to look at his friend. The red-head doesn't say anything, but Allen can imagine the raised eyebrow and amused expression asking 'how?' "You just _had_ to get that dumb scarf stuck in a tree! Once I get free, it's your turn to attempt and get it!"

Lavi has a quick desire to burst out laughing at his friend's bad luck, but he holds back. He's not that mean-spirited. "Allen, you knocked the scarf down as you fell. It's lower in the tree. Plus, it's not just any stupid scarf, if you remember. That's the scarf you and I became friends over."

Both smile fondly at the memory, their versions slightly different from the other. When Lavi thinks back, he always remembers the sounds of off-key carols and slamming doors. Allen just remembers the smell of fresh sticky buns that warmed him up fast after his trip in the snow.

It had been the holiday drive. All the children of the orphanage and those who attended the local church were forced er…strongly encouraged to go caroling around town in small groups even if they were tone-deaf. Lavi happened to fall into the latter category, as the unfortunate Allen had the chance to discover on his seventh birthday.

Allen, being at the orphanage almost since birth, got the few presents every kid got for his birthday as well as his choice from the drive. Lavi didn't know since it was his first year there and got mad when Allen ended up with five presents as opposed to the other children's one.

"I'm taking this," Lavi said stubbornly, snatching up a well-made, bright orange scarf from Allen and winding it around his neck. It was way too big, covering up half his face, but _man_ was it warm!

It was the item from the drive Allen had chosen and admittedly the best present he received. His anger was perfectly understandable. Grabbing the scarf and pulling until it was more like a noose than a scarf around Lavi's neck was a bit of an overreaction.

"L…let go!" Lavi screeched, clawing at the fabric in desperation. He started trying to run away from Allen, only tightening its grip around his neck.

Allen shook his head, pouting as Lavi started dragging him back. "Give it back! It's mine, not yours!" The small child renewed his efforts.

Lavi, in a sudden burst of childhood genius, decided to just rush at Allen and tackle him to the floor. Allen, frightened at seeing a kid almost a head and a half taller than him charging at him, had tried to run away, succeeding in jerking the scarf so hard with his sudden momentum that Lavi fell face-first to the ground and broke his nose.

There was chaos as everyone rushed and panicked around the now sobbing, bleeding child. Lavi was pushed out of the room with the adults that knew first-aid while the rest stayed behind to clam the others down. One got a wet towel and started cleaning the blood that had dripped from Lavi's nose, not noticing the stricken Allen that stared guiltily at the spot, orange scarf clenched in his hand.

Still escaping the adults notice, Allen padded over to the door Lavi disappeared into. He pushes the door open cautiously. The door creaks eerily, turning the young Allen's thoughts sour.

'There was so much blood…what if I killed him! All over some scarf!' Allen glares at the fabric in his head as if it's the spawn of hell. 'I need to check on him! If he's okay, I'll apologize.' Strong in his resolution, Allen pushes the door the rest of the way open.

Lavi was inside, alive, with a circle of adults around him. He didn't see Allen since his head was down to let the blood drip out of his nose to keep it from suffocating him. The others were to preoccupied with him to notice Allen.

It took a second for Allen to muster his courage. "U…um…Is Lavi okay?"

"Allen?" One of the adults, a man by the name of Mana, looked away from the patched-up Lavi and stared at Allen in shock. As one of the few people who paid attention to the boy, he noticed Allen didn't have many friends or really attempt to make friends thanks to his strange red arm. Lavi was in a similar boat due to his eye patch. To see Allen concerned about Lavi of all people is beyond uncommon.

"I'm okay," Lavi concluded miserably. His voice sounded congested from all the blood, but the flow as slowed down to only a trickle. He was able to put his face back up to look at Allen with a bitter look.

Allen hung his head guiltily and walked forward, occasionally flicking his eyes up to meet the other's before looking back to the ground. The scarf was still in his hands, dragging behind him.

He stopped in front of Lavi, biting his lip. Lavi stared at him, not really sure what to expect. Neither really noticed all the adults watching them curiously.

Without a word, Allen held out the scarf to Lavi. "I'm sorry for accidentally knocking you down," he mutters.

Lavi regarded him for a minute. Anyone could see the thoughtful look on his face as he weighed the pros and cons of the situation. Mana held his breath, hoping the boy would accept Allen's offer.

Allen looked away nervously, his face relaxing a bit when Mana shot him a thumbs-up.

After one tense minute, Lavi took the scarf and wrapped it around his neck before letting the others finish looking at his nose, giving Allen a small smile. "Thanks."

Allen waited until they were done tending before grabbing Lavi's hand and going back to the other kids. They were friends ever since.

"I can't believe you let the wind blow it in a tree!" Allen yells at Lavi, starting to struggle with renewed force.

Lavi rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. He watches Allen struggle, tensed in preparation to run and catch him if need be. "I didn't tell you to go up the tree! You did that yourself." Admittedly, Lavi would've gone up himself to get it, but Allen got there first.

"But you would've probably cracked the branches with your weight and fall-"

Allen and Lavi both freeze as a loud crack echoes. Allen feels his support fall away from under him. His gut drops into his stomach as the weightlessness this him, butterflies beating at his stomach. The whole tree shakes as he crashes into branches, knocking the scarf free in the process.

Lavi sprints into action, quickly positioning himself underneath his friend in record time and holding out his arms to catch him. Both shut their eyes and brace for impact…

Lavi grunts in pain as Allen hits him, collapsing under his weight. Both groan, wincing as they sit up. Neither are hurt _badly_, but they are hurt. Allen rubs the back of his head as Lavi gets up and crakes his back. He goes to retrieve his scarf as Allen gets to his feet, double-checking himself for damage. He winces a bit as he gingerly puts weight on his foot, but the feeling fades once he walks around.

"You okay?" Lavi asks, wrapping his scarf back around his face. He lets most of it hang loose, the impossibly long scarf reaching his upper leg even with it wrapped twice around his face.

Allen nods, shivering as the wind blows. Lavi grabs the extra length of the scarf and winds it around Allen. "Let's go," he says, not all at uncomfortable that Allen will have to walk closer to him now. In fact, if you asked either of them, they'd even dare to say they enjoyed being closer.


	6. Riddle Me This

**Thanks to all who reviewed/favored/alerted! I apologize in advance for the bad joke below.  
**

**Disclaimer: What do you call it when Allen cleans out a person in poker? **

**Winning like a Cross.  
**

**August eleventh: riddle**

Have you ever gotten stuck doing a job you don't want to do? I have.

I mean, mine's not a bad job like cleaning up after the elephants. I don't work at a bar or restaurant, and I don't work at some small firm ready to jump out a window from boredom. I don't tame monkeys, and I don't work as some awesome thing like an exorcist. Really, how cool would that be? No, my job is almost too strange to be real.

That's what you get when your master becomes indebted to the gods of Greece.

+…+

Lavi walks along the beat-down path, wiping his hand across his face to get rid of the sweat. The sun beats down on him, laughing at the history major for even daring to take a trip around Greece on foot. The car he had broke down, and he isn't comfortable grabbing a ride with someone in a foreign country.

Thebes looms on the horizon, making Lavi sigh with relief. He's almost there! It'll only take another crippling twenty minutes on foot.

Concentrating on dragging one foot in front of the other, Lavi doesn't see the person in front of him until they collide. He falls back from the impact, blinking in confusion. Lavi gets back up, dusting himself off and apologizing, but no one's there. Confused, he starts to walk forward, only to be knocked down again.

"You shall not pass."

Lavi raises an eyebrow and looks up to see a strange boy with white hair and a red hand…and no shirt…and a lion tail on his butt. "Um…hi to you too?" Lavi looks around, noticing all the cars are gone. "What just happened, and who are you?"

The guy gestures behind him to Thebes and then his tail, looking at Lavi suggestively like to should be obvious to him. Lavi stares blankly back, earning a groan of annoyance. "Hello? Thebes? Blocking your way? 'Body' of a lion and 'head' of a…er, person."

"Uh…huh…"

"Roll with it. Please…just roll with it." The guy gives him puppy-dog eyes. "You have no idea how much I need this paycheck."

Rubbing a palm over his eyes, Lavi nods. "Sure. Whatever." He gets up, dusting the dirt off his butt. The other guy snickers. "Do you want me to do this or not?" Lavi snaps. He's met with silence. "That's what I thought. As for what you 'are'…" He surveys him, racking through his brain for what this guy could possibly be implying. "...Aren't sphinx supposed to be female?"

The 'sphinx' shrugs. "They gave me the job anyway." He clears his throat and raises his arms to make himself more menacing. "I am the current guardian of Thebes, Allen! Answer my riddle or I get to eat-"

"What happened to the old one?" Lavi asks curiously, looking around like the other one is going to jump out suddenly and attack him. "And what's with the non-threatening name?"

"She rage quit after someone answered her riddle right. Some jerked named Oedipus or whatever." The 'sphinx' waves it away. "He probably wasn't anyone important anyway. She jumped right off a cliff or something." Allen illustrates his point by making his raised arm dive towards the ground, making a crashing sound when he stops. "I'm the first person to sign up for the job since then. This is my second month. And don't go insulting my name! I bet your name is stupider."

"It's Lavi."

"See?"

Lavi rolls his eyes and tries to push passed Allen, but the boy doesn't move. The red head glares at him, becoming angry. He walks out ten steps to the right, eyeing Allen as he stands perfectly still. They stare each other down, Lavi continuing to walk as he waits for the other to move.

Satisfied with the distance, Lavi steps forward only to run into Allen again, who he's sure was at least ten yards away. How did he get there so fast? He growls and tries physically shoving the smaller boy, but Allen doesn't move. It almost seems like he's stuck to the dirt.

"Move."

"Not until you solve my riddle," Allen says stubbornly. "No riddle, no paycheck." Lavi groans and waves him on impatiently, not missing the relief that spreads across the younger's face. "Now," Allen clears his throat, "what creature walks on four-"

"Heard it," Lavi interrupts. "Now let me passed!" He wrecks into Allen again and falls. "The hell?" he yells, ready to whack the kid out of sheer frustration. His car broke down, the heat just keeps beating on him, and the 'sphinx' keeps blocking his way. Why does the whole trip have to be one inconvenience after another? All he wants to do is tour Greece. Is that so hard?

Allen shakes his head, a slight smirk on his pale. Lavi wonders how he can be so neon white when he stands out in the sun all day. "There's another riddle," he declares triumphantly. "This one's much less well-known." He helps Lavi up apologetically. "Answer before you move. There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other-"

"That's the strangest thing I've ever heard."

Lavi gets a glare. "Shut up. I don't pick these stupid riddles, so don't go complaining to me. Now where was I?" Allen straightens up, trying to make himself as imitating as possible. "There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are the two sisters?"

The 'sphinx' smirks, crossing his arms and meeting Lavi's eyes confidently. He's the pure picture of cockiness. 'There's no way he'll ever-'

"Night and day," Lavi answers flatly, stunning Allen. "Can I go passed now?" He easily pushes the other out of the way and starts on, glad to get rid of the weirdo.

"W-wait!" Allen cries. "You just cost me a job!" Lavi turns around, clearly confused. "If a sphinx doesn't last a year with no one answering the riddle, they're fired on the spot! You just cost me this week's pay and a job!" His stomach growls loudly. Allen hugs his stomach, frowning. "I'm not eating stray lizards again."

Lavi goes to turn around back towards Thebes but stops. Can he really leave some guy he just made jobless without doing anything, even if they have a fake lion's tail and no shirt? Is Lavi really that much of a jerk? He'd like to think not.

Allen watches as Lavi rustles through his pack and pulls out a shirt. He hands it to the former sphinx while yanking the tail off of his pants and dropping it to the ground. Allen doesn't protest.

The sound of cars comes back, Lavi jumping when he sees how close they are to the road. 'What the hell?'

"Come on, Lavi!" Allen yells, grabbing the boy and dragging him towards the much closer Thebes. "I'm hungry! Let's go get some food. You owe me, so I'll be staying with you until I get a job. Got it? I can be your personal guide anyway. I'm much better than those hired ones."

Lavi's starting to wish he wasn't such a know-it-all when it came to riddles.


	7. Breaking the Wall

**Thank you to all who reviewed/favored/alerted.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't argue with an idiot. He'll bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.  
**

**August twelfth: The day you write whatever the hell you want**

**Spoilers for up to chapter 215.**

Have you ever had the feeling you're being watched? I have.

You know, like you're in a book and people are just reading about your life. Or better, you're in a manga! Girls- and some guys- awe about your sexiness and it's awesome, but then they start pairing you with your best friend, write stories about it, and draw questionable pictures.

Oh yeah, I'm looking at you guys reading this!

+…+

That's such a strange opening. Seriously, are the pluses with dots- a stupid idea I might add- necessary here? Why not just jump into it? The author's trying way too hard to find a theme here with the whole 'I have.' Probably did it just to be able to have a title that wasn't 'Laven Week.'

Lavi! Be nice! They've been working hard-

Pfft! Really? Most of those stories were pretty weak. Did you see the one for the eighth? Trying way to hard. So pretentious. Right, Allen?

…They've been trying their best…

Then where the hell's the theme for today! It's just us talking! Are they so uncreative they can't come up with their own prompt on 'whatever the hell you want' day? Come one! Just open a dictionary and pick a word! It's not that hard. Better yet, why not just write a lemon to get more people to read?

They don't write lemons.

Wuss.

What? You want them to?

…No…

Besides, you should be glad people haven't forgot about you! In case you haven't noticed, you haven't exactly been in the recent chapters. How long has it been? Since two hundred and two, which makes it thirteen going on fourteen. Where are you? Dead? In a gutter? Gasp! _Did you switch sides_?

I wouldn't do that Allen!

You dirty traitor.

Says the boy with a Noah inside him who ran away from the Order.

…That was a low blow.

Ha... low blow. Speaking of which, how's Yu?

What do you mean 'speaking of which?' It's Kanda! We're not like that!

Yeah right! You guys are the most popular pairing in D Gray-man! Yullen. Arekan. Where the hell is the pairing between him and Alma for god sake! It's _canon_! Have you been on Youtube? There's a handful of Laven videos and a thousand of Yullen! It's hard to find AMV's of Laven! You know what? There's more Alma and Yu stuff there!

Why were you checking for that stuff in the first place? And what's with the bitter tone?

No reason!

Lavi…

Because…I'm hardly on there! Does no one love me?

…

What's with the look? There's also a lot of threesome stuff on there! You know. Me, Kanda, and you.

Hey! Why am I last?

I hate to break it to you, but you're usually viewed as the bottom. You suffer in fics so much. You're like a girl in a lot of them. Have you seen that one horrible one that has you so out of character people cringe just thinking about it?

Hmm…How to Escape Fangirls?

Yeah, _that_ train wreck. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth just thinking about it.

Ugh! I hate it so much! What was that author thinking? I don't care if it was their first fic! It sucked! Well, at least the most recent one isn't as bad…

Ple~ase! I'm pretty sure their probably breaking a copyright law somewhere with the music they use. The government's so annoying about the whole thing. I can't believe we're even allowed to be used in fan fiction at this point!

They're trying their best, Lavi! At least we don't fall in love at first sight and aren't screwing each other's brains out.

Yeah, too bad we aren't screwing each other's brains out. I would hate that so much.

Do you have something to say, Lavi?

Nope. Nu-huh. No. Natta. Zip. Zilch. None. Silence.

Good.

…

…

…

What now?

I don't know. Ask the author.

They're busy goofing off instead of doing tomorrow's prompt. Can you here the horrible effort to attempt to play Doubt and Trust?

You're kidding! They're not even doing the homework due in less than a month?

Nope.

So the moron wasted all their time writing stories about you and me? That's dumb.

…So you don't like spending time with me? I see how it is. Maybe I'll go hang out with Kanda after all!

Allen! Come back! Don't go to Yu~! This is laven week! Lavi and Allen! Lavi x Allen!

Why is your name in front?

I sense a bit of jealousness in your voice, Allen. Have something to say?

Yes!

It was a rhetorical question.

I don't care! Think about it. What am I doing right now? Surviving on my own by gambling, pissing off a mafia boss in the process, fighting off that stalker Apocryphos, and trying not to be taken over by Neah!

You run away a lot. You also blushed like a school girl when Johnny said he was your friend.

…You're chained to a chair with parasites in your head. I win.

Have you seen chapter one hundred ninety-eight by chance?

I was out of that chair in a few pages! You've been gone for twelve chapters. There was also a three-month time skip. I still win.

You're an old man!

Am not!

Yeah you are! Think about it! Thirty-five years ago. I'm guessing your age at that time to be twenties. Let's go with twenty-five. That makes you sixty…which means you're an old man inside a young boy's body, you dirty pervert.

What does that make Neah?

The creepy uncle.

…

Did we reach a thousand words yet?

Almost. Nine hundred forty-three according to Microsoft Word.

Yes! A thousand and we can quit, right?

That's the deal.

If I keep prattling on then we will be done which means we are done when I add a lot more words which I am doing, and I bet his sentence has five grammar errors, but we'll be done right… now!

Now!

No far, Allen! I wanted to have the last word.

Then you should've kept better count.

You know what? I don't care. We're done! Yes! Who~hoo! Done! Yeah…what now?

…I don't think the readers are happy with the lack of Laven.

They can suffer. I'm done til tomorrow. Want to go get some food?

Yeah!

**I had fun breaking the fourth wall.**

See Lavi? There was a theme! Fourth wall!

…Whatever. It's still a dumb idea.


	8. Let Go?

**This is hand-in-hand with the paranoia one. I didn't intend to make any that connected to each other, but this us the only thing I could come up with that wasn't mushy or cliche.  
**

**Thanks to all who have read/reviewed/favored/alerted!  
**

**Disclaimer: I was born at a very early age. **

**August thirteenth: final**

Have you ever wanted something to go on forever? I have.

The world doesn't seem to care about what you want though. Things and people come and go. Stories end. No matter how much you try to hold onto it, the best thing you can possibly do is to let it go. But what if you don't want to let it go?

What if letting it go means you'll be alone?

+…+

Mana.

That one word defines Allen as a person much more than his own name has ever done. After all, isn't 'Allen' because of Mana? Without him, he'd be Red, still stuck in a circus. 'Don't stop walking. Keep moving forward.' It became his mantra, fueling every step he's taken up to this very moment. Killing _akuma_ is for Mana's sake. The polite attitude he's adopted is because of Mana. Almost his whole identity is because of Mana.

Anyone who knows about Allen and Mana can tell how much he impacted him. Namely Cross, Bookman, and Lavi. It's not like the boy laid out exactly what happened to them. The only reason Lavi and Bookman know anything is because they went to Cross to get more information on the Destroyer of Time, and even what he knows is limited. It isn't until later, after Lavi's grown close enough to Allen, to hear more details.

Even then Lavi can't wrap his brain around it, staring at the beaming exorcist as he recounts what is one of the gloomiest stories Lavi has ever heard. There is an extreme sadness in his eyes, but his face lights up just talking about his father.

"-and Mana said he was so sad he could cry and pretended to hang himself- that was just the strangest thing I'd ever seen- and I told him to quit it. Then he said, 'My tears-'"

Lavi just stared in awe at the evidence that Allen might not be so mentally and emotionally sound. He'd seen people go through less and been scarred enough to go mad or at least be paranoid, but this was another level entirely.

It's like Mana is some kind of god to him. His words push Allen on, and his memory stalks him every bit of the way. Why is obvious. Mana was the first person to show him kindness, treat him like a human being. He took him in, cared for him, and was his world. When he was gone, Allen felt like he died with him. It's a bond he hasn't felt anything close to since.

At least, not until his friends. Especially a certain red-head.

It's not as strong as the love he feels for Mana, but it's there. Suddenly it's easy to let down the polite façade and talk to his friends. The smile that used to be reserved for Mana is seen more often. Killing _akuma_ is taking a back seat.

'What if I told you… you will have to kill someone you love.'

He can't forget that lovely fact either. Hadn't he already done that to Mana? What more does he have to lose?

Lavi doesn't apparently care, still sneaking meetings with him even after witnessing Cross' explanation for himself. Allen stuck between smacking him and holding on to him for all it's worth.

Allen feels guilty every times he sees Lavi walking on eggshells when he comes to see him, looking like he's ready to bolt at the first signs of danger. Almost...paranoid. Shouldn't Allen feel more for the guy literally risking his job to see him? But letting Lavi in means pushing Mana out.

Mana is dead. Lavi is alive. The choice should be obvious, but it's not. Sure, Lavi's with him now, but he's a Bookman. When the war is over, if they all survive, Lavi will go off and take on a new name. Allen will be left behind. With Mana, he's already been left behind. He's dealt with the hurt and found ways to keep Mana alive in his heart. Does he really want to do through the same things again with Lavi? Is it worth finally letting Mana go?

Lavi walks into the almost empty mess hall, looking panicked and stricken as always. You'd think an assassin was out to get him. Allen smiles around the food in his mouth, mentally sighing in relief when Lavi relaxes.

"Hey," he tries to say, cheeks swollen with food. Allen chews the food as quickly as he can, wanting to talk to Lavi.

"Don't hurt yourself, bean sprout" Lavi chuckles, sliding next to him on the bench of the table and swiping a small sticky bun. Allen tries to yell at him, but his mouth is still full. He forces the rest down while Lavi takes a massive bite out of the bun, shifting it out of reach when Allen grabs for it. "Come on! It's just a bun."

"But it's a good bun!" Allen protests, frowning at the name and situation. A small part of him warms at the familiar banter, lifting his mind from the dark area it was in earlier. "That could've been the most delicious bun in history, and you just took it from me," he jokes.

Lavi holds it out. "Do you want it?"

Allen considers it for a moment before shrugging it off and going for more food. "Keep it." His stomach grumbles in protest, but he shuts it up with some pie. The irony of the historical bun finally hits him, and he grins. "It'll make an interesting log, won't it?" 'Destroyer of Time gives away most delectable bun ever. He's an inspiration to us all.'"

The joking seems strange to Allen. Despite the almost taboo-topic he's dancing around, both Lavi and him are completely at ease. It's been awhile since Allen's felt so much like himself, letting the polite mask of Mana fade away, but it's still there under the surface. Is it worth finally letting Mana go?

It just might be…but not too much of him.


End file.
